"You both look tired," Annabeth stated bluntly as she stopped by the ring that Frank and Hazel had spent the last two hours sparring in. The two were sitting near the ropes, and both were wiping their faces with towels. Annabeth placed two bottles of water near them. They both accepted gratefully. "Don't exhaust yourselves too much."

"Our fights are coming up," Frank wheezed through huge gulps of water, and half of the water spilled down onto his sweat-soaked shirt. Hazel smiled slightly as she just sipped on her bottle.

"We want to be ready," Hazel concurred.

"You can't be ready if you pass out from exhaustion," Annabeth gently chided. She leaned against the ring. "Are you two still taking Frank's grandma out for lunch?"

"We are," Frank answered. He looked at Hazel and smiled. "My grandmother loves you. She said that you had to come with me."

"Of course I do," Hazel smiled, and her grin shined on Frank. His own smirk grew wider. Annabeth watched the two and felt a small smile split her face as well. Hazel looked back at Annabeth. "Are you sure that Lupa won't be upset if we're back late?"

"I think she would be upset if you didn't stay out later. You only leave when your grandma is ready to," Annabeth answered. "If she asks what time your lunch is over and when you have to be back, you should tell her an hour later instead of right then."

"So she doesn't feel rushed. That's genius," Frank said. Annabeth shrugged at the compliment, and her gaze moved to the side. Reyna was sitting against the weights and staring down at her phone. She didn't look up at them. In fact, she hadn't talked to them all day.

Reyna was being distant, more than normal. When Annabeth tried to talk to her, she was just ignored. Anytime Hazel and Frank stopped by, Reyna didn't say much to them before she focused back on her training. Annabeth sighed as she studied the woman.

Annabeth felt for Reyna. It couldn't be easy to learn that Lupa knew her mother and never told her. Not to mention being arrested and the car wreck. Reyna had gone through a lot in the last few months, but why was she taking it out of them? Especially Frank and Hazel? They were just trying to be there for her.

Not to mention when she came to the gym drunk. Annabeth just wished the woman would ask for some damn help. There was no need for Reyna to go this far. She was getting close to throwing away her career because of her grief.

Reyna looked up and met Annabeth's eyes as if she knew Annabeth was thinking about her. Reyna's sightline shifted to the side, and she immediately stood. Annabeth traced where she was looking and saw that Lupa was walking towards them with Mellie in tow. As she looked back, Reyna was gone.

A sigh escaped Annabeth, and she shook her head. Reyna needed to stop running from Lupa. She had to talk to her. That was the only way for them to get over their problems. It was going to hurt, but it had to be done.

"Just make sure to send those faxes before the day is over," Lupa said as she kept her gaze on Mellie.

"Of course. Would you like me to file away the copies?" Mellie questioned as she wrote on a sticky note.

"Yes. Thank you," Lupa replied. Her eyes switched to Annabeth, and a small smile settled on her face. "Annabeth, do you remember how we talked about those front row tickets for your brothers? They still want them, correct?"

"Yeah," Annabeth confirmed, returning Lupa's smile. "My stepbrothers are huge fight fans and even of the whole team, really. Especially you. They were attached to Reyna's hip almost the entire time at Christmas. I wanted to get tickets for them to watch."

"It's not a problem," Lupa promised. "They have to fly in, correct?"

"They do, but they're going to stay with me," Annabeth explained. "I might take a few days off from the gym after the fight. If that's okay."

"Annabeth, it's important to spend time with your family," Lupa assured. "How long will your brothers be in for?"

"At least a week, but I hope we can push it to two weeks," Annabeth answered while twiddling her thumbs. "It's their birthday gift from me, and I haven't always been the best sister to them."

Annabeth did hate how she treated Bobby and Matthew. She took out her anger towards her stepmother and father on them. Annabeth was doing her best to make up for it, and she knew that she could give them an amazing gift with these tickets.

"They're coming the day before my fight," Annabeth added as she glanced at her phone for confirmation.

"I know that I told you that they would be allowed back in our locker room, but how would they like backstage passes for everywhere else?" Lupa suggested. Annabeth almost dropped her phone, and she looked up in surprise.

"Backstage passes?" Annabeth repeated. "Are you sure?"

"I am," Lupa promised. She looked back at Mellie. "Do you mind asking Reyna if she would like to attend lunch with Annabeth and I? If Annabeth would like to come with me?"

"Lunch sounds amazing," Annabeth agreed. She felt her smile widen like a ravine. "And, about those backstage passes. What would I owe for that?"

"Nothing."

"I'll ask Reyna," Mellie gently cut in. She turned and walked in the direction that Reyna had taken off in. Annabeth put her full attention on Lupa.

"Backstage passes are always offered to fighters that have a match during the event," Lupa explained. "It won't be hard to get two passes for your brothers, and of course, they can stay back in the locker room for as long as they want on the condition they don't distract you or Reyna from your fights."

"They'll be on their best behavior," Annabeth promised.

"I can even ask Octavian if he would be willing to lead your brothers around backstage to their other favorite fighters," Lupa added. She moved her hand to rub her chin. "And, would the boys like to see this gym and have a private tour?"

"Lupa, that's too much," Annabeth began, her breathing becoming nervously labored. Lupa held her hand up.

"I love to show my gym to others and help nurture their passion for fighting whether it be as a participant or a fan. It will not be a burden at all," Lupa promised. "Frank doesn't have any siblings, and Hazel's brother already works here. Reyna..."

Lupa trailed off for a moment, and her eyes moved to the direction Reyna had fled to. A sigh left before she cleared her throat, "Reyna doesn't have any siblings that are interested in fighting, and none of Octavian's nieces or nephews seem interested. It will be nice to have your brothers here."

"Thank you, Lupa. This means a lot," Annabeth exhaled, and she couldn't keep the grin from sliding onto her face. "I'm going to keep this as a surprise to the boys, though."

"We'll work out the details when it gets closer," Lupa decided. She turned her head as Reyna walked toward them. "Reyna, are you-"

Reyna walked by the two of them without a word. Lupa watched her walk away, and hurt flashed in her eyes. Annabeth clenched her fist. She wanted to chase after Reyna and demand to know what her problem was. If she didn't want to have lunch with them, she could just tell them.

Annabeth knew it had to be awkward for Reyna to even interact with Lupa, but Annabeth would be there as a buffer. She could control the conversation. It was just so frustrating that Lupa was trying to make up for what she had done, and Reyna was shutting her out. Hell, Reyna was shutting everyone out.

Couldn't Reyna see that everyone was worried about her? They just wanted to help her. Annabeth couldn't imagine the pain and betrayal that Reyna felt when she learned that Lupa knew her mother, but Reyna couldn't keep that inside. Annabeth warned her about that.

Reyna didn't want to listen, though. She just wanted to be stubborn and bottle up everything inside. It was unhealthy, and lashing out in a fight wasn't going to be sustainable. A scoff of annoyance slipped from Annabeth.

"We should get to lunch," Lupa muttered as she looked at Annabeth. The smile was gone, and it didn't look like she would get it back any time soon.

"Reyna just needs time," Annabeth tried to excuse, but her words sounded hollow even to herself.

"But how much time do I have before I lose her completely?" Lupa wondered softly. Annabeth looked away because she had an answer that Lupa wouldn't like. Lupa voiced exactly what Annabeth was thinking. "Or, did I already lose her?"